March 19, 2018 ~ Lenten Reflections (English & Espanol)

St. Joseph has long fascinated me. What man, aside from Christ Himself, has had a more important role, as husband and human father, in the entire history of salvation?

And yet, we have record of not one word ever spoken by this man in the entire New Testament. I suggest that is no accident: there are lessons here for us all, if we listen carefully.

First, in order to succeed in the mission entrusted to him by the Father, Joseph absolutely needed to have, and maintain, a very close and deep relationship with God. In order to provide wise, courageous and effective leadership to his family, Joseph had to develop an ongoing attitude of deep, interior silence. How else can we explain his prompt attentiveness and response to whatever action God indicated? How would he even know it came from God, unless he was already pre-disposed, through that interior silence, to listen, believe, and unhesitatingly obey? (He couldn’t afford to be distracted the by the dozens of “other” voices the rest of get bogged down with all the time).

Secondly, the absence of any words whatsoever attributed to Joseph, might remind us again that actions speak much louder than words. That words are certainly necessary no one would doubt. However, if there were far fewer of them – for all of us – we’d be a lot better off.